Running is Awesome

Madeleine Thompson - 22 May 16

So first off I realise posts about running and fitness in general happen a lot on the glorious interweb but I’m on a bit of a running high so I’m going to conveniently forget that and write one anyway.

I ran last night for the first time in lots of months. I ran for a whole fifteen minutes. Most of the time I walked. I took some pictures of a rainbow. I sweated. I got heartburn. I got a stitch. But it was awesome. Because I felt like I was back in the game.
I’ve had a love/hate relationship with running and in fact exercise in general most of my adult life. I was a child who hated PE lessons. Absolutely hated them. They struck fear into my heart and they were the time each week that I came to dread. I didn’t associate exercise with fitness or wellbeing. I associated it with competition, bullying, self-consciousness, self-display, and humiliation. And I know that this all stems from my experiences from those lessons. So in the years following compulsory PE, I distanced myself as far as I could from it. For the most part I was fortunate. I was skinny and I stayed that way into my early twenties, but then my relationship with weight shifted and my body decided to positively welcome the extra pounds. It put a sign up saying “Roll Up, Roll Up! Extra weight needed here!”. And so began the years of it being effortless to put on weight and tricky to shift it.

I started running circa 2005 when I was living with my boyfriend in our first flat in Birmingham. He has always been an avid runner and he convinced me to join him on a turn about the block. So I did. We ran probably no longer than five actual minutes but it killed me. I stopped so many times. I was breathless, thought I was going to die, etc etc. I remember not running again for a while. But eventually I did do it again and I got into a nice, shiny and new habit of being a proper jogger. I bought new trainers and all the kit. I was proud.

Over the years I’ve been a runner and then not a runner. My weight has gone up and down and sometimes the running has helped it to do the going down bit. Other times it has just helped me to feel good. I’ve done one race – a 10K. That was a career defining moment in my running career (and as it happened the date of my race career retirement).

Since having the kids I’ve barely put my running shoes on but occasionally I become inspired to get out there and do it again. I had a hiatus until late Summer last year, when I became inspired by a pic of SM Ed Molly out running and I managed to motivate myself to start again. Well so far I’ve had about three false starts this year but maybe this time is the one that will carry on.

So here’s to the summer, here’s to feeling inspired, and here’s to running. Awesome.

pic – author’s own.

Madeleine Thompson

I am mum to my little chicks, Aisha, 6 and Abel, 4. Originally from Yorkshire, UK, I now live in a little town in the North West. By day, I work for myself as a freelance PA. By night, I indulge my passion for writing.

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